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Are There Differences Between Ocean and Air Freight Shipping?

Most people don’t know how their courier sends items, but it is sometimes important if you must decide on the fastest or safest way to ship freight. While most couriers consider air freight shipping to be the best, there are times where ocean shipping is a better choice.

Air Freight Shipping

Air freight shipping is typically faster and safer to use than ocean shipping. Because of airplanes, items can get from one place to another in a matter of days instead of weeks or months. This means that the item you are shipping can get to its destination quicker.

Air freight is typically safer, as well. This is mainly because strict rules are available to those who pack up the airplane. Your items must be packed properly, but you won’t have to worry so much about mishandled cargo or crashes. While airplanes can crash, this is an infrequent occurrence – so your items will have a better chance of arriving on time and in good condition.

If you are shipping food or medicine, speed is incredibly important. Some medicines will only be useable for a few days or even hours, so it is important that the method of transport is fast enough.

Ocean Shipping

Even though ocean freight shipping is safe, it is not as quick as air shipping. However, you can ship larger items, and it will typically cost less to ship by sea than by air. Most couriers prefer to ship items by sea whenever possible because it costs less. This means that you will pay less to ship the items. However, some items don’t do well with ocean shipping, such as food or medication.

Because the ship is a lot bigger than an airplane and more items can be stored, the costs are usually less. Your items will take up a small area of the cargo area of the ship. The ship will take cargo from other companies and individuals and ship them all to the same area or en route to the end destination, which allows for everyone using that cargo ship to pay less, as costs are shared.

Unreliability is another difference. Air freight shipping is very reliable. It is easy to track the items during their entire trip and know exactly where they are and when they will arrive. Because of weather and other problems, ocean shipping is less reliable.